Michael Vaughan rips into Ben Stokes and Team England (Photo Credit: Getty Images/AP)

NEW DELHI: Former England captain Michael Vaughan has strongly criticised Ben Stokes and the England team after they lost the Ashes 2025–26 series to Australia. England were beaten in the first three Test matches, which meant the series was over within just 11 days. Australia retained the Ashes with ease, while England struggled to compete.

After the third straight loss, Vaughan shared his frustration in his newspaper column. He said England’s style of play completely failed in Australian conditions and deserved heavy criticism.Vaughan wrote, “The whole approach of this England side has been badly exposed on this Ashes tour, and you don’t have to look far into history to know that heads will roll after a defeat like this. In the end, with defeat inside 11 days, it’s the worst I can remember in Australia. England have had a cockiness about them for three years, and the entire cricketing world has wanted to shut them up as a result. This tour has been humbling for them.”He added that Australia are shocked by how weak England have looked despite having good players. Vaughan also questioned England’s aggressive playing style.He added, “Aussies are laughing. They can’t believe how fragile this team have been given the quality in the side. England have had a message shoved down their throat for four years, that this style would win in Australia. I don’t know where that came from. The only teams I’ve seen win in Australia have been those willing to do the hard yards, grind the opposition down, and have a bowling unit that bowled with great discipline. We have neither.”In the third Test, Australia chose to bat first but were in trouble at 94/4 due to fast bowling from Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. Usman Khawaja scored a calm 82, while Alex Carey hit his first Ashes century with 106. Australia reached 371, with Archer taking five wickets.England replied with 286, thanks to a strong partnership between Ben Stokes and Archer. Australia then scored 349 in their second innings, led by Travis Head’s brilliant 170 and another solid knock from Carey.England were set a huge target of 435 runs. They fought hard with contributions from Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Will Jacks and Brydon Carse, but were bowled out for 352. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon starred with the ball. Carey was named Player of the Match as Australia took an unbeatable 3-0 lead.

NEW DELHI: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana recently won hearts with a sweet message for a young fan from Kashmir. Filmmaker Kabir Khan shared photos from his visit to the region. During his trip, he met a little girl in Aru Valley who told him that Smriti Mandhana was her favourite cricketer.

Mandhana, who is currently playing in India’s five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, saw Kabir Khan’s post on social media. She replied with a warm message that quickly went viral.Kabir Khan wrote, “Walking with my camera in Kashmir always rewards me with magical moments. Like this little girl in Aru who wanted me to tell Smriti Mandhana that she is her favourite player. I hope Smriti gets to see this post. Or the boys whose playground has a mountain stream as the boundary. If you hit a 6 the ball will flow all the way down the valley into the Jhelum river.”

Smriti Mandhana replies to young fangirl

Smriti Mandhana responded to the post and wrote, “Please give the little champ in Aru a big hug from me and tell her I’m cheering for her too!” Her reply made fans smile and showed her down-to-earth nature.Soon after this lovely moment, Mandhana created history on the cricket field. During the first Women’s T20 International against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, she achieved a major milestone. She became the first Indian woman cricketer to score more than 4,000 runs in T20 internationals.She is only the second woman in the world to reach this mark. New Zealand great Suzie Bates is the only other player to do so and currently has 4,716 runs. Mandhana reached 4,000 runs in just 3,227 balls, which is faster than Bates, who took 3,675 balls.In the match, Mandhana scored 25 runs from 25 balls before getting out in the ninth over while chasing 122. India completed the chase in Though her innings was short, it was enough to create history. This was also her first international match since India’s ODI World Cup win last month.Earlier, India’s bowlers put up a strong show and restricted Sri Lanka to 121 for six. Vishmi Gunaratne top-scored with 39.

In a historic display of leadership and fast-bowling prowess, Australian captain Pat Cummins has achieved a monumental milestone during the Adelaide Test of Ashes 2025-26 series vs England.

Pat Cummins equals Imran Khan’s legendary feat during 3rd Ashes 2025-26 Test vs England

By spearheading Australia’s victory in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 21, 2025, Cummins became only the second captain in the history of Test cricket to claim 150 wickets while leading his side. This achievement places him in the company of the legendary Pakistani all-rounder and captain Imran Khan, who previously stood alone in this elite category. Cummins reached the 151-wicket mark as captain in just his 38th Test at the helm, boasting a superior strike rate and average compared to many of his predecessors.

Elite company: Most wickets in Tests as captain

Only ten captains in the history of the game have surpassed the 100-wicket mark, but the gap between the top two and the rest of the field is now significant.

Also READ: England captain Ben Stokes opens up on another Ashes series defeat in Australia

A milestone-heavy Adelaide Test for Cummins

Cummins’s performance in the Adelaide Test was not just about the 150-wicket captaincy club; he simultaneously rewrote several other sections of the record books:

• Surpassing Mitchell Johnson: With his 315th career Test wicket, Cummins moved past Mitchell Johnson (313 wickets) to become Australia’s 6th highest wicket-taker of all time in Test cricket.
• The Root Nemesis: Cummins dismissed Joe Root for the 13th time in Tests during the second innings. This is the most any bowler has dismissed the English batting maestro in the five-day format.
• Ashes Dominance: The Australian skipper has now raced to 97 Ashes wickets in just 20 matches, maintaining an average of 23.57.

Despite his red-hot form, Cummins indicated following the Adelaide victory that he might miss the upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Having secured a commanding 3-0 lead to retain the Ashes, the captain suggested a reassessment of risk regarding his workload.

“Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of job’s done and let’s reassess the risk. I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne, and then we’ll have a chat about Sydney.” Cummins said to the media after Adelaide Test.

With Cummins potentially stepping back to rest, Australia may look to their bench strength to complete a potential whitewash, while the captain cements his legacy as one of the greatest bowling leaders the game has ever seen.

Also WATCH: Ashes 2025-26: Glenn McGrath’s reaction breaks the internet as Nathan Lyon surpasses him on Australia’s all-time wicket-taker list | Adelaide Test, Day 2